


Morpheus

by Hornswaggler



Category: EOS 10 (Podcast)
Genre: Fluff, M/M, cat shenanigans, no really i promise
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-22
Updated: 2018-10-22
Packaged: 2019-08-05 20:39:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,234
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16374665
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hornswaggler/pseuds/Hornswaggler
Summary: David Maddox is a ranked Alliance officer, the chief of security of the entirety of EOS 10.He should be able to handle feeding a cat.





	Morpheus

**Author's Note:**

> This is blatantly based on the Brooklyn Nine-Nine episode, _Cheddar._ Because I need fluff after the finale, and while I've only known David Maddox for like, two weeks, I would die for him
> 
> Please enjoy [this context video](https://ytcropper.com/cropped/0f5bcd985a9cb7c) for one specific line, even if I couldn't find the full in-show clip. The entire episode is a gift.
> 
> be impressed i wrote this much fluff, this is.........not the norm for me

“I mean it’s been...he would say complicated, since the beginning, and y’know, yeah, complicated is kinda putting it lightly. I’m still not sure I really get the whole thing. But it’s been almost two months, and that seems long enough to be official, right? At least _I_ think it does, but we haven’t really talked about it. It’s kind of a weird conversation to bring up on a date --”

“Commander Maddox?”

David blinked hard, and it took a little more effort than it should have to focus on the shopkeeper behind the counter. They looked wary, feelers twitching a little more than average.

“I’m sorry, sir, but…” They glanced around quickly before leaning a little closer. “Is this a security question?”

A few beats of silence. David only noticed his mouth was open when he snapped it shut with a huff of breath.

“Uh, no. No, just...forget all that.” He ran a hand back through his hair unconsciously. “Look, have you seen a cat around here?”

\----

_30 hours earlier_

\----

“Just promise me the station will be intact when I get back, huh?”

“Ah, have a little faith.” David grabbed the one tie that was laid out on the bed and tossed it at Ryan who caught it easily. “We _do_ have other doctors, you know.”

Ryan rolled his eyes, tucking the tie into the bag at his feet. “Yeah, and the _head_ doctor is coming with me. I’ve noticed this correlation between the amount of time I’m gone and how much of this place is destroyed when I come back.”

David smirked. “I think you’ve got a bit of an inflated ego there, Dr. Dalias.”

That got a quick laugh. “I have plenty of room for it,” he tapped at his forehead with one finger, “y’know, apparently.”

Well, that is what people said. Other people didn’t seem relevant, though.

David stepped around the bed, reaching to pull Ryan’s head closer and pressing a kiss to that forehead. It was nice to notice that something like that didn’t get the slightly embarrassed ducking away or a laugh to brush it off. Not anymore. Instead, Ryan hooked his fingers under David’s tie to pull him closer and kiss him firmly.

“Just keep Levi from getting to any missiles,” Ryan said, turning back to his bag. Like it was normal.

It _was_ normal.

“You’ve cut him off from the Interface,” David pointed out. “Something he complains to _me_ about now, I’ll have you know.”

“Hey, you passed him off to me when he thought someone was dosing him with nerve gas, call it even.”

David scoffed lightly, his shrug conceding. “Guess I did deserve that one.”

He wasn’t exactly much help when it came to packing, so he just stood back and watched for the most part. Not that he’d ever complain about the opportunity to watch Ryan Dalias, even when it was doing something this benign. It was very different than seeing him in the infirmary, all business and tight expressions and occasional needles that David pointedly looked away from.

Now it was a lot of automatic motions, interrupted by the occasional furrowed brow that he got when he might have forgotten something important, staring at different shirts like one of them might personally tell him it was better than the other. Pink hair that was usually so orderly was tousled, enough that Ryan would push it out of his eyes once in awhile, impatiently, like it was being inconvenient on purpose.

God, he was cute.

The door buzzer made Ryan jump, and David waved him away, turning to the door himself. He didn’t reach it before it buzzed again and the muffled voice of a very loud nurse followed rapid hammering on the frame.

“I swear, Dalias, you miss this shuttle and I’m gonna send you there out an airlock,” Jane called. “I have the codes for it, I’m --”

She cut off as the door slid open, her fist still raised, and blinked hard.

“Oh.” Another quick blink, and then a wide grin. “Commander Maddox, nice to see you.”

David had to step to the side as Jane strode past him into the room. He hesitated a moment before waving a vague arm and letting the door shut again.

“Come in, I guess?”

“Yeah,” Ryan said, “she does that. Not -- hey, I’m _coming_.”

Jane just scoffed, yanking his bag toward her and zipping it closed. “Look, Urvidian is getting all antsy. I’m not the one stuck on that flight with him, but I won’t subject you to more hell than absolutely necessary.”

Ryan’s laugh was disbelieving, but he took the bag when it was shoved into his arms. “ _You_ won’t subject me to hell -- since when?”

“Since ever.” Jane glanced him over critically and then her eyes snapped over to David. “He ready to go, Maddox?”

David shrugged. “I’m not entirely sure what’s needed for something like this.”

Jane sighed, eyes lifting to the ceiling. “Shirt, pants hopefully. It’s a medical conference, not an award show.”

“Then yeah, he’s good.”

Ryan rolled his eyes himself, swinging the bag over his shoulder. “Alright, I get the point. Shuttle doesn’t even leave for another half hour…”

“Oh, just leave already,” Jane urged, “I wanna be in charge.”

“You are _so_ not in charge, Dr. Osolong takes over when I go --”

“Yeah, yeah, that’s what the so-called chain of command says.” She shoved him toward the door. “Now get on the stupid ship.”

Ryan’s grin was weary, but still fond. He stopped by the door, his free hand taking one of David’s as he leaned in for a kiss again. David pulled him into a quick hug afterwards, and hell, it was nice how normal that was.

“Don’t let her blow up the station, either,” Ryan whispered, and David didn’t quite hold back a snort as Ryan stepped back again, letting his hand linger a moment before reaching to open the door. “See you guys when we get back.”

“Make sure Urvidian keeps his pants on this time!” Jane called at his back, and Ryan raised a quick hand in an acknowledging wave before he turned a corner.

The silence was a...different one. David wasn’t sure he’d actually been alone with Jane before, not since she first tracked him down at least, and it was more intimidating than he’d expected.

Especially because she was staring at him.

“I guess I can kinda get what he sees in you,” she said suddenly. “Big, gruff, security type, right? That’s...some people’s thing.”

David raised his eyebrows quickly and shrugged with a brief laugh. “Guess it is.”

Jane just scrutinized him a few seconds longer before shrugging and striding past him again. “Minimal judgement, man. Minimal judgement..”

The door slid shut behind her and David had to take a moment to stare at it with a lingering feeling like he’d just gone through a windstorm that had begun and ended with Jane Johns.

From what he’d seen of her, that was pretty much the norm.

He looked down at a sudden noise by his feet and grinned at the mass of fur that was sliding around his ankles. Morpheus blinked up at him, tail twitching, and David crouched for a moment to scratch the cat behind the ears.

“Yeah, I know,” he said. “I’m gonna miss him, too.”

He made sure to double check the temporary access he’d been given to the room had gone through -- not like he couldn’t have gotten in anyway, but it would feel weird using clearance codes for something like feeding a cat.

An alert chimed just as he stepped out into the hall, and David glanced back to make sure the door closed like it should before he flicked it open.

Well, the station wasn’t blowing up yet.

Successful day so far.

\----

_09:00_

_Next morning_

_\----_

He hadn’t expected to see Jane again so soon; David didn’t have much reason to go to the infirmary without Ryan around, and Jane tended to avoid security whenever possible.

It was surprising, then, to find her not in the infirmary or the Promenade, but sitting on the floor against Ryan’s bed with a purring cat in her lap.

Jane started when she saw him and let out a quick huff of breath as David paused in the doorway to raise an eyebrow at her. Morpheus blinked lazily before Jane dislodged him when she stood.

“Commander Maddox,” she greeted cheerfully. “What are you doing here?”

“I’m on cat-sitting duty,” David said. “Ryan gave me access -- what are _you_ doing here?”

“Oh, nothing, I’m just hiding --” Jane cut off, seemed to consider her next words carefully --“from an angry mob?”

David scoffed. “You’re hiding from station security, aren’t you?”

“Noo, I wouldn’t do that.” Jane’s laugh was extremely unconvincing, and she swung her arms out. “That would be...extremely unfortunate,” her voice dropped into a low mutter, “since you’re right here…”

The door gave a despondent chime telling him that he was in the way, and David stepped further inside automatically to let it slide shut. “I’m off duty,” he said. “Be kind of inconvenient for everyone if the head nurse got arrested, anyway.”

Jane squinted at him and then shrugged. “Fair enough. I’m completely innocent of everything, of course.”

David had abrupt, unbidden memories of the first time he officially met Jane Johns, wearing whatever that...dress, for lack of a better term, had been, immediately after causing some kind of chaos in an art gallery with the sole intention of getting him to respond to it.

“Right.” He stepped past her, going to the small container tucked in a corner of the room that Ryan kept the cat food in. “So do I want to know _how_ you got in?”

“C’mon, Maddox, Ryan’s my best friend, _obviously_ I have access to everything.” She paused when David shot a look over his shoulder and then shrugged. “Plus, y’know, I’ve got all his biological info on file.”

“Yeah, _that_ sounds right.” David poured the cat food into the bowl on the floor and turned around again. “You do know you can call me David, right?”

Jane pulled a quick face. “You on the clock?”

“No -- off duty, like I said.”

She considered it a moment before shaking her head sharply. “Nah. Too weird. Be glad I’m dropping the title.”

David chuckled, shrugging one shoulder. “Guess that’s fair.” He glanced down at the bowl again, and then around the visible floor. “Where’d Morpheus go?”

Jane looked down herself, her arms folding. “I dunno, he’s…” She frowned a little, leaning over to peer under the bed. “And of course he doesn’t even have a stray _sock_ under here, that’s just typical...he go in the bathroom or something?”

The slight clench of worry set in after the third lap around the rooms. It was after the fourth that David found himself staring at the door and remembered its chime of staying open too long.

His curse got Jane to look around curiously, and he waved a hand toward the door.

“The door was open, he must’ve...seen something out there, slipped out past me.”

“Oh.” Jane took a second to let that sink in and then ran a hand over her hair. “Ohh, crap.”

“Yeah.”

“That’s okay,” she said quickly, “that’s fine. I mean he’s a cat, right? Can’t have gotten _that_ far. Probably wandered down the hallway and got bored.”

Morpheus wasn’t down the closest hallway. Or either of the ones that branched off of that. Or the four the branched off of that.

Whatever this cat was doing, he apparently had gone off to do it with purpose.

The worry had turned into a slight panic by the time they reached the first hall that had a direct path to the Promenade. David scrubbed his face with one hand, trying to push back all of the various ideas of how exactly he had managed to kill this cat.

Jane, on the other hand, was getting a touch of excitement in her eyes that definitely did not seem to fit the situation at all.

“C’mon, Maddox,” she said after he told her just that, “we’ve got a fugitive. It’s not like he can just stroll onto a shuttle or anything, so he’s somewhere on this station.”

“This is a _really_ big station,” David reminded her, and Jane even grinned.

“I know! It’s a manhunt! Or, y’know, cat-hunt. That’s part of your job, right?”

He managed a short laugh. “My job does not usually involve tracking down my -- Ryan’s cat across the entire station, no.”

Jane squinted up at him. “Were you about to say the cat was yours, or do you just not wanna use the word boyfriend?”

_Shit_.

“It’s not important,” David said quickly. “We just need to find Morpheus before he ends up in engineering somehow.”

Another few seconds of suspicious squinting, and then Jane grinned again, even wider.

“Oh-ho, it is _so_ important. We’ll be sure to discuss that, but in the meantime,” she turned abruptly to the nearest elevator, “I know someone who’s real good at finding technical contraband that doesn’t want to be found.”

\----

_10:30_

\----

“Commander Maddox, hello, good to see you -- are you here about the screams?”

“No, I’m --” David frowned, trying very hard to ignore the way the fake heads -- _God he hoped they were fake_ \-- on the walls were staring at him. “Wait, what screams?”

Levi’s second set of eyes blinked rapidly, but his wide smile never wavered. “I’m sure I have no idea. Nasty rumors. What can I do for you?”

“We need your help,” Jane said. “Morpheus is somewhere out in the station, and it’s gonna take more than two of us to find him.”

“Of course,” Levi said immediately, “I’ll be happy to lend my expertise -- now who is this dastardly foe?”

Jane blinked, exchanging a quick look with David. “Morpheus. Y’know, Ryan’s cat? Black and white and fluffy?”

Levi’s head tilted a little. “What sort of cat? Solipil screaming cat? The hooked-teeth cat from Callichoke?”

“No,” David said, “just...standard house cat. From Earth.”

“Ah yes.” Levi clapped his hands together. “That cat. Do not worry, Commander, we shall retrieve it in no time.” He bent over his desk, pulling up some search engine that David was sure he wouldn’t have been able to read even if it hadn’t been upside down. “Now, the _felis catus_ has an average speed of 15 kinopecs every hour, so with every passing second that slippery bastard gets farther away.”

“Levi, you helped me get the cat in the first place,” Jane pointed out.

Levi glanced up, and there was a slightly wild look in his eyes. Not that that was abnormal. “And I didn’t trust it from the beginning.”

The plan wasn’t exactly much of a plan. Jane’s only experience with cats was an ancient one that she claimed did nothing but nap in sunbeams. David had met a few of friends’ pets, but it wasn’t enough to make any guesses on this particular cat’s behavior. Levi’s first suggestion was to vent some kind of gas that would _probably_ make Morpheus fall asleep.

Probably.

Instead they split up, each covering a different sector of the level with the vague hopes that there was no reasonable way a cat could work an elevator.

David was pretty certain he didn’t want to know how Levi would be handling things. Jane seemed extremely dedicated, but also a little too excited at the prospect of a “cat-hunt.”

His only plan was...well, looking. Walking the area, talking to the locals, hoping Morpheus knew him well enough to not immediately hide.

But hells, this place was huge. David had noticed immediately when he transferred to the station, the massive scale compared to the ships he was used to, the frankly ridiculous amount of travelers or residents at any given point. EOS 10 was a jewel of the Alliance for a reason.

It also made searching for one eight-pound cat extremely difficult.

“I mean he couldn’t have gotten _that_ far,” David told a rather confused looking cook. “He’s just a cat. Don’t get many of them wandering around this area, right? You seen anything?”

The cook blinked a few times. “Why did you let your cat loose in the Promenade?”

David rubbed the back of his neck with a quick laugh. “Oh, no, he’s not mine. I’m actually just watching him for -- for Dr. Dalias, you know? In the infirmary?”

“Oh, of course I know Dr. Dalias. I didn’t know you and he were…” The cook’s antenna twitched once, curiously, and David let his eyes roll a little. Massive station with a bigger population than any city he’d ever lived in, and they were all still determined to spread the gossip.

“Have you seen the cat or not?”

He got an update from Jane that she had found absolutely nothing useful, and shortly afterwards an update from Levi that he hadn’t found any cat, but _had_ probably uncovered the start of a revenge plot from a certain dishwasher. It took David a few minutes to talk down the insistence that he arrest the entire kitchen staff immediately.

“I’m just looking for a cat,” he told the owner of a small tailor shop. “Not technically my cat, he’s Ryan’s, but I’m kind of looking after him for a couple days.”

“Ohh, how sweet,” the tailor crooned. “Is that your boyfriend?”

David caught himself before he frowned and managed to scoff lightly. “He’s -- kind of. I think. But I just need to find this cat.”

\----

_13:24_

\----

“Seems like somethin’ you ought to just ask about, man. Communication and all that.”

David sighed, propping his head up on his hand as he leaned on the small cafeteria table.

“It’s complicated, Sanchin,” he said. “Like...more complicated than I expected.”

Sanchin waved a dismissive hand. “Everything’s complicated, Commander. Anything with a coherent thought is complicated. What’s the hold-up, some weird ex or something?”

That got a quick laugh. “Something like that. Kind of. And all that’s fine, it really is. Just not really sure...what to call it after this long.”

“Right, right. I’m just sayin’, talk to the guy.” Sanchin shrugged, downing the rest of his drink quickly. “Haven’t met this Ryan myself, but I assume he’s a reasonable sort, if you’re this smitten.”

David rolled his eyes good-naturedly. “No one on this station is reasonable.”

“Well, there’s that. My point still stands.” Sanchin glanced at the nearest clock and stood, pulling his hat back on and adjusting the badge on his chest almost unconsciously. “I’ll tell this shift to keep an eye out for the cat. Best of luck, sir. With all of it.”

David nodded, lifting his cup of coffee briefly as Sanchin walked away, and ran a hand back through his hair with a long sigh. The alert chime made him start, but he accepted the incoming call automatically.

_“Maddox, we found a lead,”_ Jane said without preamble. _“Lady by the one flower shop that has that orchid display out front, she says Morpheus napped under the sunlamps and then left about an hour ago.”_

“We?” David asked. “Levi with you?”

_“Yeah, he was being pretty useless by himself --”_

_“You take that back!”_

_“-- so we’re sticking together. Meet us over here, we’ll work out from this spot.”_

David was already walking.

Find Morpheus first. Figure anything else out later.

\----

_16:09_

\----

He wasn’t panicking.

He was an Alliance officer, chief of security of the entirety of EOS 10. He’d done tours through the Void itself, out of range of all but the strongest communication rays and definitely out of range of any potential help.

David Maddox did not panic.

Except, apparently, when he found himself consistently three steps behind one specific cat that was _determined_ not to be found.

Morpheus seemed to be making a lot of friends along his way. There were multiple shopkeepers and employees that said they had seen him wander through, getting plenty of attention and lavishing in every minute of it.

But he always wandered off again before anyone caught up.

“I can’t lose his _cat_ ,” David said. “I mean hells, on the list of “things not to do in a relationship” that’s pretty high up.”

“You didn’t technically _lose_ him,” Jane told him. “He’s somewhere on the station, we know that much for sure.”

“A dastardly little creature, I’ve always thought so.”

“Yes, thank you, Levi.”

David glanced down at an alert from work and read just enough of it to know who to pass it off to. Usually he would have clocked in by now. Hid schedule was a little more flexible than the other officers -- that happened when he was the one who set a lot of the schedules -- but it was still strange not going through reports at his desk.

Instead he was trying to keep from seeming too panicked as they circled around the Promenade for the nth time. He could see a number of the shopkeepers and servers watching them, all of the people he’d spoken to already and probably gave a very good amount of gossip to spread.

Well, there were probably worse things for people to talk about.

There might be some of his bosses that wouldn’t be too happy that the chief of security was the forefront of some new station stories, but he’d faced down worse.

He felt like he was facing down worse right now.

“I can’t lose his _cat_ …”

Jane sighed lightly, glancing around the shops before she turned to Levi.

“Why don’t you go talk to the guys in that studio?” she asked. “Maddox and I will check the flower shop again, he seems to like those lights.”

Levi eyed the studio in question suspiciously before he seemed to recognize it and lit up. “Ah, of course -- they have a superb parchment supplier. I’ve been looking at updated invitations for _Chez Levi_ for weeks.”

“And ask about --” Jane trailed off as Levi strode away, and she rolled her eyes. “Ask about the cat. Alright, and _you_.” She turned on David who had to keep from flinching back instinctively. “Come with me.”

She set off toward the edge of the Promenade, and David followed after only a short hesitation. “Thought we were going to the flower shop.”

Jane ignored that until they reached the start of a hallway, away from most of the bustle of the main area. It was quieter, and that alone was a little bit of a relief after so long in the middle of everything.

“You’re gonna spill first,” Jane said, her arms folded and a determined glint in her eyes. “What’s that little...manic look in your eye, huh? Morpheus is fine, we’ve heard that like, a dozen times in the past hour.”

“I know that.”

“Do you, though?”

“ _Yes_ , it’s just a…” David swung his arms out uncertainly. “It’s complicated.”

Jane rolled her eyes again. “We’re on EOS 10. What isn’t?”

He scrubbed a hand over his face and kept his eyes on the wall for a few moments. Of all of the conversations to be having, this was certainly not one he’d expected.

“I lost his cat,” David said, and Jane raised an expectant eyebrow. “Out of all the things to -- it had to be Morpheus.”

“Yeah, so you’ve mentioned. A lot. What’s up with that? And I swear,” she jabbed a finger at him, “if you say it’s complicated…”

“It _is_.” David paced a few steps, propping his hands up on his head. “It’s ridiculously complicated, because it’s --” He paused, weighing his words, and turned back to Jane. “You know how Ryan got Morpheus.”

Jane shrugged. “Yeah. He was down for a while, y’know, work stress and everything. Levi...helped out, we got Ryan a cat.”

Conveniently leaving out the exact way they’d managed that. It would’ve been funny if he’d been a tiny bit less stressed.

“You found a smuggler,” David elaborated, and the short pause before Jane’s eyes widened in attempted offense was enough confirmation. “He told me about it.”

“Oh.” Jane hesitated and then shrugged. “Well, yeah. Quartermaster isn’t exactly a fan of our boy.”

David nodded, forcing a slow breath and letting his arms drop again.

“Point is the...the last time?” He met Jane’s eyes and it took a second for her to nod in understanding. “Apparently you and Levi still got Morpheus. But it was Akmazian who found him for you.”

“Oh.” Jane blinked once, and then her face fell. “Ohhh...right.”

David rubbed the back of his head absently, part of him marveling at the absurdity of having this conversation with Jane Johns, of all people. “Morpheus is...Ryan isn’t even sure why he’s still here. And y’know, that’s all the shit I don’t really get, that’s the complicated part. But that cat is pretty much the one tangible thing Ryan’s got left of Akmazian. Hell if I’m gonna be the one to screw that up.”

Jane was, surprisingly, quiet. After a moment she leaned heavily against the wall, hands in her pockets, and sighed. “Okay, so your little...freak-out is kinda justified.”

“Appreciate it,” David said with an attempt at a laugh. “It’s fine, really, it --”

“But you’re also freaking out over nothing,” she cut in. “You know that, right?” He raised an eyebrow and Jane shook her head. “I mean, okay, freak out a little bit about the cat, but we’re gonna find him. And all of this worry about Ryan is…” Her mouth twisted for a moment, and then she looked up to meet his eyes. “You’re not a replacement, David.”

He blinked hard, twice -- once for the initial statement and once for the realization that she had used his first name.

The instinctive denial caught in his throat at first, and David sighed after a moment, pointedly looking anywhere else. “I know that.”

“Yeah, well you could’ve fooled me.”

He _did_ know that. Technically. Things were complicated as hell; from the bits and pieces Ryan had talked about, there was some kind of time travel involved. Sort of. Conspiracies, corruption, and framing one man for the death of billions before, somehow, erasing that man entirely.

The one David was absolutely positive Ryan had loved.

Still did, in a way.

He knew he wasn’t a replacement. Technically.

But it was complicated.

Jane sighed, unusually subdued. “Look, I’m not any kind of...expert on this sort of thing. But I know Ryan. Is he an insufferable control freak sometimes? Definitely. Does he have a weird obsession with getting paperwork done? Sure. Do I sometimes wish those damn nanites had stuck around so I could _shoot him again,_ of course! He’s...one of the most stubborn hard-headed people I’ve ever met. But,” she pressed on when David raised a questioning eyebrow, “that means he’s stubborn and hard-headed in _everything_. So trust me, if Ryan Dalias wasn’t ready to move on, he wouldn’t.”

David wasn’t used to not having a response upfront. Eventually Jane straightened and her grin was small.

“You’ve got a ridiculous, high-strung surgeon for a boyfriend, who may have literally swapped realities on us somehow. It’s like, _insanely_ complicated.” She clapped him on the shoulder briefly. “And he is _insanely_ into you. Don’t freak out.”

She strode past him, back into the hub of the Promenade, and it only took David a couple of seconds to turn and follow.

This was definitely one of the weirdest days he’d had in years.

\----

_19:34_

\----

“Right, so you’ve heard about the cat. He’s --” David had to pause, waiting for the translator to catch up with this particular language that was mostly differently toned clicks. “Yes, I understand they thought it was dangerous, but I promise he won’t hurt anyone, so if you happen to see him again --” Another pause, and then a quick sigh. “No, he’s not mine. Dr. Dalias is just off the station right now. Just...tell security to call me if he comes back, okay?”

Walking around one level of the station all day really shouldn’t be as tiring as it was turning out to be. Practically the entire level knew about the cat at this point, but every time he was spotted it was by someone too afraid to just...pick up a cat.

David supposed that made some sense; a lot of the species here would have never seen a house cat before, and he knew he wouldn’t be keen on the idea of scooping up some completely unfamiliar alien.

Still, the fact that a lump of fluff like Morpheus could be considered intimidating was as ridiculous as the rest of this situation.

They had split up again, for lack of any real better ideas. Levi had suggested dressing in Ryan’s clothes on the small chance Morpheus might be drawn to the smell, but that had been shot down immediately. David was talking to the same people over and over again, and at this point it was hardly about the cat at all.

The gossip was going to be flying after all this.

Most of the panic had faded, mostly because it had been replaced with weariness. Kind of a mixed bag, but David was still getting enough alerts from his actual job that he was avoiding falling into mindless repetition.

Barely.

It took him a second to notice when the next alert wasn’t from work. Another second to notice it was from Levi.

And yet another, after he’d answered it, to understand a single word Levi was saying.

_“It is a_ **_vicious_ ** _beast! I wasn’t warned of the claws, which there will be words about later,_ **_come contain it!_ ** _”_

David cut off his laugh, vaguely hoped Levi hadn’t heard it, and turned on his heel to start jogging back toward the last sector.

“On my way,” he said, “just -- he’ll freak out if you freak out, try to stay calm.”

Right. Like that was happening.

Jane beat him there. He had absolutely no idea how -- last they’d spoken, she had been clear across the Promenade -- but also figured it wasn’t worth the effort of an explanation.

The scene had already drawn a small crowd. Levi was on the floor, wrapped around Morpheus like a cage. The cat was definitely unhappy, making an impressive effort to squirm away. Levi spotted David from across the small clearing and stood immediately, scooping Morpheus up and holding him at arm’s length.

“The cat is found,” Levi said. He turned to Jane, who was still closer, the cat swinging in his hands. “Please take it now.”

Jane laughed. “Aw, c’mon, he likes you!”

“It has already attacked!” Levi jerked his head down at his arms, where a few thin scratches stood out against his pale skin. “I can’t understand why Dr. Dalias insists on keeping such a creature where he _sleeps_ , but I would like to have no further part of it!”

“Well don’t look at me,” Jane said, lifting her hands briefly. “I’m allergic. A little.”

“ _Allergic_ \--”

“I’ve got him,” David cut in before there was a full-blown spiral at the very thought. He took Morpheus, who was still making a valiant effort to get away, and Levi seemed to deflate. That was more relatable than expected as the realization that they had _finally_ caught the cat sunk in.

David let out a breath, glancing around at the gawkers with what he hoped was a normal smile.

“Situation’s contained,” he said, putting a hint of his “security chief” tone behind it. “We’re all good here.”

The crowd scattered pretty quickly, and that alone calmed Morpheus at least a little. David hoisted him a little more comfortably in his arms before turning to the others.

“Thank you. Both of you, really.” He met Jane’s eyes pointedly. “I appreciate everything you’ve done to help.”

Jane snorted, folding her arms. “Don’t gotta get too sappy on us, Maddox. Not like we’d let this guy run off after going to so much trouble to find him in the first place.”

“Oh, I would certainly consider it,” Levi said, and Jane elbowed him in the side.

“Get the fuzzball home,” she said. “I’ll get this one bandaged up before it goes septic.”

Levi sputtered as Jane grabbed his arm and pulled him toward the elevator, leaving David with an armful of cat, feeling a little dazed.

He made it back to Ryan’s room without incident, and it only took a little maneuvering to get the door open without letting Morpheus free. The cat seemed pleased to be home, at the very least; he completely ignored the food still sitting in his bowl, but took a few laps around the rooms like he was making sure things were still in order.

David sank onto the bed, sitting up against the headboard, and let himself breathe correctly as he watched Morpheus roam. He really shouldn’t be so exhausted, but part of it could probably chalked up to the near-constant stress.

Morpheus hopped up with him after a few minutes and immediately settled onto David’s lap.

Well, it had been a hell of a long day for the cat, too.

The low, rumbling purr made it too easy to zone out. Not like he was going into the office tonight -- wouldn’t hurt to stay for a little while.

\----

_01:18_

\----

The sudden movement on his legs woke him more than the sound of the door did. It took David a few seconds to process that he’d fallen asleep and another few to realize it wasn’t in his own room.

Morpheus had hopped off of his lap and trotted to the door to greet Ryan who was staring into the room with a rather bemused grin and his phone in his hand.

“Not the best lighting,” he said, “but that one’s definitely a keeper.”

David rubbed at his face, pushing himself a little more upright. Sleeping sitting up wasn’t ever ideal, but it had been hard to convince himself to dislodge the obviously content cat. And hell, it had been a really long day.

“You gettin’ blackmail on me, Dr. Dalias?” he asked.

Ryan chuckled, dropping his bag by the door and sliding onto the bed to lean against the headboard next to David.

“I think I’ve already got plenty of that. But this isn’t going anywhere.”

He angled the screen a little; the picture was a little dark, but it was still easy enough to make out the station’s chief of security out cold, head lolling to one side, with a cat fast asleep on his lap.

David groaned half-heartedly, pushing his face into Ryan’s shoulder. “ _God_ , do I really sleep like that?”

“Oh, sure,” Ryan assured him. “Extremely dignified at all times.” He leaned forward a little, elbows resting on his legs. “Not that this isn’t a pleasant surprise, but you knew we were getting back at like, ass-o-clock. What’re you doing here?”

Well, not like it was going to be a secret anyway.

“We might’ve had a bit of an...adventure today,” David said, and hurried to cut of Ryan’s immediate groan, “Nothing real bad, just -- Morpheus decided to take a little stroll around the station.”

Ryan looked over to where the cat was perched on the edge of the bed, happily kneading the blankets, and then groaned again.

“Of course he did -- God, I should’ve warned you about that, he always tries to bolt, that’s on me.”

“Like hell it is,” David laughed. “He’s a cat, things happen. Jane and Levi helped out, we got him back with everyone in one piece. No blood, flood, or fire, means it was a much easier shift than I lot I’ve seen.”

Ryan’s laugh was a little disbelieving. “ _Levi_ helped?”

“Sure did -- he was actually the one who made the final catch.”

“I am legitimately impressed.” Ryan sat back again, shifting a little to lean against David’s side. “The fact that chasing a cat around is what counts as a calm day around here probably says a lot.”

David hummed, reaching for Ryan’s hand and lacing their fingers together loosely. “Yeah, well, that’s EOS 10 for ya. Conference go well?”

That got a quick snort. “As well as could be expected; had to pull Dr. Urvidian away from no less than three potential fist fights, but the pants stayed on the whole time, so I’ll count that as a win.”

“Sounds absolutely thrilling. I’m sure I would’ve understood something around four words anyone said.”

Ryan chuckled, and David twisted enough to pressed a kiss on the side of his head. Ryan turned a second later, his free hand sliding into David’s hair to tug him back, and that kiss lingered.

Like it was normal.

Because it _was_.

“Just a forewarning,” David murmured after a moment, “I know all this wasn’t exactly...a secret or anything. But pretty much the whole of this level knows now, if they didn’t before. We might be the next round of station gossip.”

He could feel Ryan grin more than see it, and the next kiss was a little firmer.

“I’ve gotten kinda used to it,” Ryan said. “Besides, maybe having the chief of security for a boyfriend will get the Quartermaster to lay off me a bit.”

Well.

That seemed official enough.

If this was the new normal, Morpheus could take as many jaunts around the Promenade as he liked.


End file.
